BEIJING, China – A powerful earthquake has struck an isolated mountainous region of western Tibet, but there was no immediate information on deaths or injuries, the government said.
The 6.7-magnitude quake struck in the Gangdise mountains, about 350 miles west of the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, the official Xinhua News Agency said Monday.
The U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo., put the magnitude at 6.0.
The quake was centered in Zhongba County, which has about 20,000 inhabitants and lies at an altitude of 16,500 feet, Xinhua said, citing Dun Zhu, head of the county government.
“Communication is extremely difficult, and precise information on casualties or toppled houses will take some time,” Xinhua said, citing Dun.
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake is capable of causing severe damage.
Zhongba County is about 60 miles north of China’s border with Nepal and 220 miles northwest of Kathmandu, the Nepalese capital.
